So, is Vince REALLY going there?

[Jimmy King]

So, next year is the 10 year anniversary of WWE purchasing WCW and, consequently, WCW going out of business. As everyone knows, Wrestlemania is in Atlanta, where WCW was based out of, next year as well. At first, everyone seemed to think it would be pretty much a "WCW"-themed weekend. Basically, everyone was penciling in Goldberg, Arn Anderson and other WCW wrestlers being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and even a Goldberg farewell match (possibly against Taker?) at WM 27. Now, reports suggest that WWE's "big name" inductee is going to be Ultimate Warrior, which only had a, what, 2 month run with WCW?

My question is this- Do you think Vince is doing this out of disrespect to either TNA or WCW? Also, do you think Vince will use any footage from Warrior's match with Hogan at Halloween Havoc '98 to somewhat bury Hogan for joining TNA?

Now, before people say I'm reading too much into it, or bash what they think my thoughts on it are, I'll wait for the replies to start coming in. This is a forum, and I want to know what your thoughts are on the situation.

 

[Schizophrenic]

I think you are looking too much into this. They have wanted to induct Warrior for a while and this might be the year HE says yes to it. I doubt that Vince is trying to do this to screw over TNA.

 

[marklouis]

I didn't see it that way. WWE wanted Warrior for this year but he refused. I would like to see an all WCW ceremony, with guys like Arn Anderson, Freebirds, Goldberg, Ron Simmons, maybe Sting if he's retired from TNA by then. It wouldn't shock me if Vince had a motive of sticking it to WCW, but since he tried to get the Ultimate Warrior this year, I think it's more that Vince believes putting Warrior in the HOF will make money.

 

[mayankeagle]

AFAIK, Warrior is not good terms with the WWE and I doubt why Vince would be running after him to get him inducted in the HoF if he's acting too pricey about it. The only person I see them running after for induction (who keeps refusing but has the right to maintain that air about him) is Bruno Sammartino. A Goldberg return would be good but they have not yet negotiated any contract terms. If Goldberg returns, it should be for a good send-off on a winning note. I don't see him fighting Taker at Mania because Goldberg would have to lose because the streak can't be broken. Goldberg would be better off fighting Cena or maybe a returning Batista.

 

[KoC417]

Reading way too much into this. Good topic none the less. Vince has wanted to induct Warrior for how many years now? If you've been trying for a long time to induct a guy and he says he'll do it this yeah who cares how long he had a WCW run for? The fact is WWE/Warrior can reach an agreement. I personally wouldn't be surprised to see them use the footage. I just sincerely hope they tell Warrior not to make a speech. Some of his promos were so ridiculous and out there I can't see him putting together a solid 3-5minute speech that didn't sound like he was drunk. Or on an ego trip. Warrior does deserve the induction. As far as Vince sticking it to WCW...what would be the point a decade later. That's like going to a grave site and urinating on it. It wouldn't make you look better in anyone's eyes. And as far as sticking it to TNA. Vince doesn't need to stick it to TNA. All TNA has done is proven that they aren't ready to perform against WWE. They gave it a decent push when they tried switching days but that failed miserably. Vince should see it as TNA has stuck it to themselves. Now if they try to make another "big move" they will have issues no matter how much it's hyped and built. You only have 1 chance to make a big impression. And TNA fell flat.

So...
Is Vince going there: No
Is Vince trying to stick it to WCW: No
Is Vince trying to stick it to TNA: No
Will they use the footage of HH 98: Doubtful when they have enough WWF/WWE footage to use.

 

[JJ15776]

AFAIK, Warrior is not good terms with the WWE and I doubt why Vince would be running after him to get him inducted in the HoF if he's acting too pricey about it. The only person I see them running after for induction (who keeps refusing but has the right to maintain that air about him) is Bruno Sammartino. A Goldberg return would be good but they have not yet negotiated any contract terms. If Goldberg returns, it should be for a good send-off on a winning note. I don't see him fighting Taker at Mania because Goldberg would have to lose because the streak can't be broken. Goldberg would be better off fighting Cena or maybe a returning Batista.

You say that Goldberg can't fight Taker because he would have to lose, yet you suggest he fight Cena...who have to beat Goldberg even more than Taker would. I don't see how that makes it any better.

And Bruno Sammartino is on as bad as, if not worse, terms than Ultimate Warrior. At least people know who Ultimate Warrior is. (I say this out of no disrespect for Bruno, but he hasn't be relevant in 30 years, nobody cares anymore) Warrior and Randy Savage are by far the two biggest names yet to be inducted, and Vince's inexplicable hatred for Savage doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Plus, for all we know, Warrior's shown interest in being inducted, they just haven't come to terms on a deal yet. Who knows how close they were last year. Given that they're still trying, I'd say they think it's going to happen.

As for the whole sticking it to TNA and/or WCW thing...I don't buy it. They've never said anything about this year being a WCW theme. That's just an assumption everybody's made since it's in Atlanta. I think they were "sticking it" to TNA a LOT more when they held Wrestlemania in Orlando a couple years ago.

 

[Decarow]

You say that Goldberg can't fight Taker because he would have to lose, yet you suggest he fight Cena...who have to beat Goldberg even more than Taker would. I don't see how that makes it any better.

Why would Cena HAVE to beat Goldberg? Cena's already HOF bound and his legacy is in place, he doesn't have to beat Goldberg. I say bring Brock Lesnar back and hope they have a better match than Wrestlemania 20 (shudders).

Is he commemorating his victory over WCW? Possibly. Or maybe he's taking advantage of the situation by making money from nostalgic fans.

Is he sticking it to TNA? No... The only way he'd be sticking it to TNA is if he showed footage of Warrior beating Hogan. Which if he did, it wouldn't be him sticking it to TNA. It's not like it was a random match on Superstars and they wanted to bash Hogan. Warrior beat him at WRESTLEMANIA. And Halloween Havoc. So it's not him sticking it to TNA, he'd just be showing how Warrior became the legend he is.

 

[mrbooker]

Vince just wants Warrior because to be honet minus Randy Savage, and Shawn Michaels he is the only guy currently that the majority would go nuts to see be inducted in the hall of fame

 

[CarlSinclair]

Nope you are looking way in to it man.
1. Nobody at WWE ever confirmed the WM in Atlanta has anything to do with WCW
2. Nobody ever confirmed Goldberg or any other WCW guys were going in
3. They have wanted Warrior in for some time cause its money
4. Arn Anderson deserves to go in and will do, regardless of where WM is being held
5. Just because Goldberg says he wants a match, doesn't mean he means WWE or they would even use him (although I think they would for the one time crack at ppv buys)

The rest is just speculation so for anyone to think that Vince by 'maybe' putting in Warrior is an attack on WCW... even more so TNA is just looking in to things way to much.

I also agree with Mrbooker though, outside of Warrior the biggest induction at this stage would probably be Savage or Shaun Michaels.

 

[iamcountrymusic]

i have a question. Is Warrior turning this down because he knows if he gives Vince the rights to his likeness, Vince would just be trying to rebrand his name in the WWE?
Warrior merch would sell and putting him in the HOF is pretty much bribing him to come back. Why would Vince have a sudden change of heart other than to make money off of the licensing?

i remember watching the Self Destruction of Ultimate Warrior and after how badly they talked about him and said he was a nutjob. Warrior had every right to never want anything to do with WWE ever again.

Macho Man had more of an impact in WCW than Warrior. Many ex WCW stars are more deserving.

 

[realdealasshole]

Why would Cena HAVE to beat Goldberg? Cena's already HOF bound and his legacy is in place, he doesn't have to beat Goldberg. I say bring Brock Lesnar back and hope they have a better match than Wrestlemania 20 (shudders).

Is he commemorating his victory over WCW? Possibly. Or maybe he's taking advantage of the situation by making money from nostalgic fans.

Is he sticking it to TNA? No... The only way he'd be sticking it to TNA is if he showed footage of Warrior beating Hogan. Which if he did, it wouldn't be him sticking it to TNA. It's not like it was a random match on Superstars and they wanted to bash Hogan. Warrior beat him at WRESTLEMANIA. And Halloween Havoc. So it's not him sticking it to TNA, he'd just be showing how Warrior became the legend he is.

The reason Cena would have to beat goldberg is because Cena is the face of the company. To have him lose to an old has been on the grandest stage of them all, just to give that guy a good sendoff would be a joke and a slap in the face to Cena himself.

As for Lesnar v. Goldberg, one good reason that match sucked is because Goldberg himself sucked. The only reason he was a draw is because of his dominance with the spear and the jackhammer and the undefeated streak. Quite frankly it pissed me off that so many people bought into him. It boggled my mind. And when people were so excited that it would be Goldberg v. Lesnar, I was excited too, but for a completely different reason. I was excited because I knew that everyone would finally see how bad Goldberg is. And it happened. Goldberg is trash. I wouldn't let any wrestler on my roster lose to him.

 

[kcordloh]

Goldberg being inducted is the biggest name out there right now available. Savage and Warrior are awesome, but neither one of them has wrestled on a big stage in 10 years. Goldberg at least has some history, and trust me when I am talking to people at college who are my age (early twenties) and wrestling comes up the top 5 names always mentioned are Hogan, Rock, Austin, Goldberg, and Undertaker.

Sting has a following, but Goldberg is a bigger name. Warrior being put in the HOF is money, Vince would be doing it for that alone

 

[CyDeez]

I just sincerely hope they tell Warrior not to make a speech. Some of his promos were so ridiculous and out there I can't see him putting together a solid 3-5minute speech that didn't sound like he was drunk. Or on an ego trip.

It's kinda funny you say that... Actually, He is a motivational-type speaker and is actually more educated than people give him credit for... I think he could easily put together and descent speech that makes sense... The problem is, he would probably shoot a little too much about everything! He might even take that opportunity while he is up there to diss some people LOL...

I think he deserves to get in, EASILY! I believe one day he will accept!! This year I think a WCW-Themed HOF would be awesome though... It would be WAAAY over with the fans there!

 

[conici]

goldberg being inducted sounds great and good timing the as I don't see warrior being inducted as he has turned down the HOF offer down and the lawsuit with the WWE over his dvd so yea goldberg most likely over the warrior. It will be cool to see the WCW based HOF as long as wwe doesn't go over-board like they did with ECW

 

[befair2flair]

Personally I don't think the Ultimate Warrior should even be in WWE's hall of fame because he was never that good, and as far as Vince goes I would never put anything past him to trash Hogan nowadays because I'm sure he plenty mad at him these days for going to TNA however I would be surprised if it would at there hall of fame induction

 

[JakeTaylorBrowning]

I would have to say the famous quote "never say never." Vince and Bret Hart after 12 years of hating Bret Hart turned over a new leaf for him. Ultimate Warrior and Vince will eventually be on good terms again. I think that they are going to induct him into next year's Hall Of Fame if he agrees, even if he doesn't deserve it. He may or may not deserve it. IMO he does because he's a legend, and a lot of people know who he is, which makes him a household name, although the way that he left WWE when he quit was downright ridiclious, and than when the Ultimate Warrior's DVD came out a few years ago, that brought even more tension to his legacy.

 

[Reddannihilation]

Goldberg being inducted is the biggest name out there right now available.

If you're talking about people who were in WCW, then no. Goldberg is not the biggest name to be inducted. Savage and Sting are bigger than Golderg.

Savage and Warrior are awesome, but neither one of them has wrestled on a big stage in 10 years.

Precisely why they should be inducted, they're legends who have moved on.

Goldberg at least has some history,

Bill Goldberg, has more history than Randy Savage? What?

and trust me when I am talking to people at college who are my age (early twenties) and wrestling comes up the top 5 names always mentioned are Hogan, Rock, Austin, Goldberg, and Undertaker.

Oh God, that's your argument? People you know happen to remember Goldberg.

Sting has a following, but Goldberg is a bigger name.

A hahahahahaha, yeah sure thing their. Goldberg has one thing to his name, a winning streak. He is nowhere near the level of Sting and the Macho Man in terms of what each man has done for the wrestling industry, how many classic matches they had, etc. The day Bill Goldberg has a match as important as Savage vs. Steamboat at Wrestlemania, is the day Santino wins the WHC.

Warrior being put in the HOF is money, Vince would be doing it for that alone

The Ultimate Warrior is a draw now? Has he even been relevant since the 80's? You seriously think people are going to pay to see Jim Hellwig, a man who hasn't done anything in years and more to the point hasn't done anything relevant since his win against Hogan. Sure thing.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Here's the thing I don't get with the Ultimate Warrior. If Vince McMahon was really that interested in having him headline an induction ceremony for the WWE Hall of Fame, whether it be this year in the alleged WCW-themed Hall of Fame, or in past years when he supposedly wanted Warrior but he declined, why would he have put out the DVD about the Rise and Fall of the Ultimate Warrior?

Although I haven't actually seen the DVD, I cannot imagine it was particularly complimentary to the Warrior. From what I can gather, he was pissed off about it as well. The relationship between Vince and the Warrior was very strained anyway, he would have had to have known that this DVD would strain their relationship even further and make an acceptance into the H of F that much less likely. Point being, I'm not so sure the Ultimate Warrior into the Hall of Fame in 2011 is likely going to happen. I'm not so sure Vince wants it, and I'm even less convinced that Warrior does. Plus I'd be nervous about how he'd conduct himself that night if I were McMahon. As well all know, the Warrior is a lunatic, God knows what kind of a stunt he'd probably pull.

The more likely place where Vince is really going, FINALLY, is inducting the Macho Man Randy Savage into the Hall of Fame. There seems to be some contact between WWE and Savage recently for the first time in years. Maybe they've finally buried the hatchet. This could be done with a WCW theme in mind as Savage spent time there, or it could be done without referencing WCW at all. This would be where my guess would be for where Vince is going for the HAll of Fame induction ceremony for 2011.

Goldberg could be there too, but not as the headliner. And forget about him beating Undertaker in a match at WM27 to end the streak, that would never happen in a million years. Goldberg will likely come out and squash someone, but I don't think it will be Taker, or Cena, or Orton, or HHH, or anyone like that.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

The WCW theme was thought up well before the new TNECW thing (yes, I'm trying really hard to make that name popular. And I was really hoping that the only thing WWE does for that weekend is center the Hall of Fame around WCW. I really don't want to see a bunch of returns or angles or anything. Just give the stars their respect and props for what they did, put them in the Hall, and move on. It's Hot-Lanta, the birthplace of WCW, and it would be cool. One last match for Goldberg would be cool, but I would rather see the WWE roster get solid matches before inviting him back.

Now, about Ultimate Warrior... honestly, Warrior is bigger than the majority of WCW, and if he's inducted it will have nothing to do with his run there. If WWE finally gets the chance to bury the hatchet and put him in the Hall, then there's nothing they'll let stand in that way, in my opinion. It doesn't matter if there's a WCW theme or not, Warrior should go into the Hall and be the main event. And no, I don't think WWE will use the opportunity to bash Hulk Hogan. They may be pissed at him, but they could care less about TNA, and they're not going to use the Hall of Fame to get revenge (although I would never actually put it past them).

 

[Kenny Powers]

I really don't know why Vince or the WWE for that matter want to go to the well over and over again with the Ultimate Warrior and Goldberg. I could maybe understand Goldberg since he is able to have one last match, but does the WWE universe even know who Goldberg is? or even Ultimate Warrior for that matter? Warrior has screwed WWE over so many times its laughable. I don't see what Warrior brings to the table.

I don't think just because Wrestlemania is in Atlanta Georgia and it has been 10 years since the purchase of WCW that it is a conspiracy. Does anyone really think WWE are inducting former WCW wrestlers into the Hall of Fame to spite TNA or WCW? That is ridiculous. Why would you go to Atlanta and honor the former WCW wrestlers in the HOF just to spite them?

We will probably see some names like Arn Anderson and the Freebirds be inducted. Goldberg is highly possible. I don't see why Goldberg or Warrior deserve the HOF nod more then Randy Savage or Sting though. I don't even think any of these 4 big names will agree to the HOF to be honest.

 

[Tenta]

Um... Meh?

Look, the WWE might have originally wanted some "theme" for their Hall of Fame inductions, but clearly, everyone seems to have gotten.

1. This is speculation for something that will happen six months from now. No way any of this stuff is even close to finalized. If it were, we'd have inductions coming up for Summerslam. There's no way this plan is going to stay this way in six months time.

2. Even if it did, The Warrior guarantees people will buy to see this. Say what you will, that he's arrogant, that he's nuts, but he's also severely interesting. The Warrior will drive people to watch, just to see what happens. Will he punch out Vince? Will they hug? What exactly is going to happen? It provides juice and intrigue for an event that typically lacks it. And frankly, juice means more tickets sold, and more viewers.

So, what if he's inductin Warrior? No big deal, and nothing more than speculation and coincidence

 

[The Insano Shiekh]

You're looking way into it. Vince isn't doing anything that goes under the topic "going there". You seem to think that just by Warrior being the potential "big name" inductee that it means that the others won't be inducted. What has any of the names you listed have to do with being a "big name?" Arn Anderson is the biggest and he can't even fit into the standards. It takes a lot of accomplishments in WWE to be a big name, not the WCW.

You shouldn't try to be Sherlock Holmes, if you ask me.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

First of all why does everything Vince does have to have an agenda behind it? Secondly can't Wrestlemania be held here in Atlanta without "sticking" it to WCW? Thirdly what does TNA have to do with this? They have no ties to Atlanta. Lastly Im glad Wrestlemania is finally coming here and I can't wait to be one of the 60 or 70,000 people in the GA Dome.

 

[Sean Valjean]

So, next year is the 10 year anniversary of WWE purchasing WCW and, consequently, WCW going out of business. As everyone knows, Wrestlemania is in Atlanta, where WCW was based out of, next year as well. At first, everyone seemed to think it would be pretty much a "WCW"-themed weekend. Basically, everyone was penciling in Goldberg, Arn Anderson and other WCW wrestlers being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and even a Goldberg farewell match (possibly against Taker?) at WM 27. Now, reports suggest that WWE's "big name" inductee is going to be Ultimate Warrior, which only had a, what, 2 month run with WCW?

My question is this- Do you think Vince is doing this out of disrespect to either TNA or WCW? Also, do you think Vince will use any footage from Warrior's match with Hogan at Halloween Havoc '98 to somewhat bury Hogan for joining TNA?

This thread makes no sense. Why would Warrior's induction be disrespectful to WCW or TNA? Like you said, he was in WCW for only a couple of months and has never even stepped foot in TNA. And why would they bother showing that god-awful Halloween Havoc match when there are much better matches from his WWE run, some of which are classics?

To put it simply, Warrior became a big star in WWE and his induction is deserved and would get people to tune in to the show; that's why he'll be inducted.

 

[HBKevin]

I don't see how Warrior possibly headlining the 2011 class would be a slam to WCW, but Warrior isn't going to accept it anyway unless he has a major change of heart, and just because it's in Atlanta doesn't mean it's going to be an official WCW theme. I'm sure any WCW guy who gets a HOF ring in WWE will not care who headlines the nominations.

But just let me repeat, people thought Bret Hart coming back to WWE was far fetched, and people thought Macho Man ever working with WWE again was far fetched, but Warrior's relationship with Vince and WWE has only gotten worse in recent years, as the Self Destruction DVD shows. Neither Hart nor Macho Man was slammed like that by WWE for their DVDs. But Warrior deserved it anyway for his behavior back when he threatened to no-show PPV main events and similar antics.